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aud_wallen's review
2.25
Graphic: Suicide
draven_deathcrush's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Suicide, Domestic abuse, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child death
aleksander_at_sea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Suicide, and Racism
Moderate: Murder and Violence
hanreadshardbacks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Death, Infertility, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture
rica014's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Death, War, Blood, Physical abuse, Violence, Suicide, and Colonisation
jeremie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Colonisation, and Misogyny
Moderate: Murder and Child abuse
jaquie's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the use of language to bring light to vivid details about religion, culture, and society, rather than explicitly explaining why things are the way things are. For example, using the natural world as a frame of reference for passing time, weather, sounds, etc. In one particular example of use of language is how we learn through the perspective of the story that Okonkwo's clan is male dominated and a motif is Okonkwo and his clan's dichotomy of masculinity and femininity. Okwonko's first wife is always addressed as "Nwoye's mother," in other words, the son's mother, and never addressed directly by name. Perhaps a stretch of my observation, but this may be why Ezinma is always addressed by name because Okwonko wishes she was a son, while he views his sons, like Nwoye, as effeminate.
Ending spoiler:
Ironically, in Okonkwo's return from exile, he thought he would continue to be respected. In reality, he lost his reputation, and maybe his will, to try and convince his fellow clansmen to resist the uprooting of his society with his preference to violence. Okonkwo fails to see other effective means of resistance other than violence because he rejects them as it is less masculine. In the end, in one last attempt to assert his manhood, he impulsively resorts to the violence he so desired. Probably realizing how futile his attempt was, this domino ultimately caused his own downfall to commit to taking his own life. To reinforce the devastation that Okonkwo has felt, his friend Obierika explains that suicide is a grave sin and his clansmen may not touch Okonkwo's body. Strangers of the clan must help because Okonkwo's body is now considered evil.
Honestly, I was surprised by the ending in which Okonkwo takes his own life. However in hindsight, it seemed like a self-fulfilling prophecy. He gave himself the worst end of his constant anxiety about the future (eg. focus on a successful generational lineage and impact on society). Cleverly written, we continue reading on the last pages and we switch to the perspective of the District Commissioner (ie. a western perspective) in which we enter his thoughts of wanting to write about Okonkwo in his book of civilizing Africa. Ironically, the District Commissioner thinks he understands African customs, traditions, and society enough to write a book about it. We learn from his thoughts that Okonkwo's recent behaviours and actions are interesting enough to the District Commissioner, that Okonkwo would be mentioned as a chapter, later thinking a paragraph is sufficient, further reinforcing the shallowness of the colonizer's perspective. Ironically, this book is a rich and vivid story of Okonkwo's life and it ends when Okonkwo dies.
Graphic: Suicide
edilund's review against another edition
Graphic: Suicide, Domestic abuse, and Colonisation
syd_reads_occasionally's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Physical abuse, Death, Slavery, Colonisation, and Blood
dreamwifu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Colonisation
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Child abuse
Minor: Gun violence